190 Jak vs. 188 BroModel for b/c?

[Yossarian]

Assume they're both going to get mounted up and used - the only question is which to use for (AT) backcountry and which to use (alpine) inbounds.

The Jak is 190cm, 97mm; the Bro is 188cm, 99mm.
The Jak is softer in the tip and tail, The stiff Bro is stiffer and said to plow through crud better
The Jak is relatively light, but hardly featherweight; The Bro is said to be unusually light.

The Jak is orange; The Bro is blue. Freerides are gray with orange/yellow, and I happen to have some blue Look p12s waiting for a pair of boards. On the other hand, blue and orange are also complimentary, so I could put the Looks on the Jaks and put Freerides on the Bros...

Go.

[weibo]

Mount up the Jak for your back country setup and your Bro's for alpine.

Reasoning you will lover your Bro's so much that you will want to ski them all the time in all conditions so the dh binding will be better. The jak will be a better soft snow ski and a decent harder snow ski so for touring you are looing to ski soft stuff as much as possible and occasionally you will ski harder. Also when you realise how much you like the Bro's you will be able to sell the Jaks as acomplete setup (better resale value) and get new Freerides for your new soft Bro's next year.

[Yossarian]

Good reasoning. More debate needed. Fuel for the fire:

Thus far this season, I've been skiing about:

40% inbounds alpine
30% inbounds tele
30% sidecountry/backcountry AT

I may have to ski a little less tele, as it has resulted in some sore knees for the first time in my life, but the breakdown is still indicative. Assume that the long term breakdown is about:

45% inbounds alpine
35% sidecountry/backcountry AT
20% tele (don't currently like to tour tele, but with G3s new touring heelpiece, that may change, so I'll leave it general)

[Yossarian]

31 views and one reply. You people suck balls.

[Foggy_Goggles]

Bros for Alpine
Jaks for BC

reasoning = none

I've never skied either.

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

31 views and one reply. You people suck balls.

I'd reply, but I'm too biased. I say use Bro's for both..mount some Solly's on 'em and use Trekkers for BC. Or buy a second pair and mount one AT and one alpine

*seriously though I like weibo's suggestion*

[Kya]

I haven't skied either, but I'd put the Freerides on the Jaks and the alpine on the Bros. The bros seem like a perfect everything ski. Then, next year switch the set up!

[Spats]

Bros are so light that you'll be pissed every time you lug the Jaks around. But they'll be a lot stiffer than the Jaks, so you might want them for alpine. Clearly you need soft Bros for backcountry and stiff Bros for alpine

[phUnk]

183 Gotamas, definitely.

[Magoo]

Thus far this season, I've been skiing about:

40% inbounds alpine
30% inbounds tele
30% sidecountry/backcountry AT

I may have to ski a little less tele, as it has resulted in some sore knees for the first time in my life, but the breakdown is still indicative. Assume that the long term breakdown is about:

45% inbounds alpine
35% sidecountry/backcountry AT
20% tele (don't currently like to tour tele, but with G3s new touring heelpiece, that may change, so I'll leave it general)

31 views and one reply. You people suck balls.

I'm just impressed you've got the percentages adding up to 100%

And I can't help you, cuz I haven't skied either of em

[telechuck]

I tele on Jaks and am very jealous of PowderPig's Bros. I fear when I do rent some AT boots and take them for a tour I will sell all tele gear to fund a new AT habit. While I am not a weight weenie, I would dig a pair of Bros for their lightweight and versatility. Lucky me on tele same binding goes both places.

So, that being said, freerides on Bros and you will find yourself going BC more.

Just sell the Jaks, take the funds from that job you love so much and get another pair of Bros for resorts.

As a side note, the G3 touring heel is a pain in the ass at best and a hoax at worst. I just use mine as a "regular" heel piece.

[Telenater]

Freerides on the Bros and use them for everything. (or take The Shoe's advice and use trekers).

Or, take my advice and mount them tele and use them for everything (at least that's my plan when I get mine).

[Twoplanker]

My bias is clear, but the Bros are very light - great for touring.

[splat]

I will freeride Bros and use them anywhere and everywhere. I just sent a pair of Jaks and a pair of Bros to Brownmonkey and roo. Icould not believe the weight of the Jaks. And I have this funny feeling roo is somewhere envying Brownmonkey's choice of the Bros.

[tywhy]

The Jak is orange; The Bro is blue. Freerides are gray with orange/yellow, and I happen to have some blue Look p12s waiting for a pair of boards. On the other hand, blue and orange are also complimentary, so I could put the Looks on the Jaks and put Freerides on the Bros...

Go.

is this seriously a consideration?

[splat]

lol.....what color is your helmet, Yos?

[bad_roo]

The Jaks are for my brother but I'll get to have a look at the pair together in La Grave. It's just a shame I won't get to ski the Bro Models as my boots are about twice as long as Brownmonkey's.

But then the Jaks were less than half the price of the Bros so maybe we're not comparing eggs with eggs...

[splat]

That's cheap.

[bad_roo]

Yep. I've little doubt the Bros are superior skis but it was tough for Chris to turn down a set of fat skis in the plastic wrap for $199.

[splat]

Check out the weight difference. Blew me away.

[verbier61]

sorry I read this only today. I have 190 jaks with freerides and 188 soft bros with freerides. I will ALWAYS use the BROS for AT. It's so simple... BROs are lighter, and do everything jaks do... similarly or better. Said that, my strategic decision is to keep BROs in verb for "everyday" use and bring the jaks in Milan to have them at hand for my monterosa AT days.

[verbier61]

..... just cuz I'm sooooo lazy and do not want to bring BROS with me in my car up and down the san bernard every given week

[Yossarian]

my helmet is a spraypainted black with a little red, but sometimes the paint chips when I hit trees and things and reveals a little blue and yellow underneath.

Interesting thoughts here.

True, the Jaks were found at $199 on super-discount, which is why I bought them even when I didn't really need them. So, I suppose I could sell them or just keep them around for rainy days. Anyone want some Jaks for $300 plus shipping?

I am happy enough on my 180cm 84mm Fischer Bix Stix wG3s for tele, so I think I'll keep the discussion on the alpine/AT split.

I don't do trekkers. Trekkers = Tour wreckers IMHO.

Weight really isn't that much of a concern to me. Yeah, I want a generally lighter ski for touring, but I don't seem to notice relatively incremental weight differences. If we're talking 100% heavier, that's one thing, but within reason, it's not a huge consideration. So why did I bring it up in the first place then? I dunno; everyone else has been talking about how light the Bros are.

I think probably the biggest determinants for me are the flex/dimension aspects, which dictate how I can ski the boards. I want my AT skis to be tailored towards untracked soft snow performance and be super easy to snap around in short radius turns if they have to (for skiing in the trees and backing out of routefinding fuck-ups), but without being noodles. My current AT ski is the old K2 AK Enemy, which at 188cm, 90mm, are pretty good. Wood core, twinned (so it skis short), and with a rounded, medium-soft flex. If it were just a bit wider, and maybe 2-3 cms shorter...

So, now the dilemma should be obvious. The AK Enemies are getting beaten up little by little, and I will likely have used them up by the end of the season. So, the replacement will be either the Jak or the Bro.

The pros and cons are pretty well spelled out above.

I dunno, we'll see. Perhaps when I get them next to each other, the choice will become clear which to put the AT binders on, and which to put the Looks on.

I'll be sure to document and post the direct comparison when it happens.

Thanks for the thoughts.

[Yossarian]

In retrospect, it sounds like the soft Bros would fit the bill perfectly for what I want in an AT ski. But of course, I have the stiff Bros coming (which fits my alpine preferences better).

So, perhaps the play is as follows: mount the stiff Bros with Looks this year, hope that the AK Enemies get me through the year, and consider soft Bros for AT next year. Keep the Jaks in case I need them, and sell them if I don't.

Eh, we'll see. Anyway, thanks for reading my brain dribble.

[PowderPig]

I vote for using the (soft) Bros for AT. Never tried the stiffies or the Jaks... I have my softies mounted with freerides and love that setup.
Sorry, I guess that didn't help you very much - you'll just have to get the softies as well...